I saw a Papermate TV commercial last night and at the end they tag key retail partners. Newsagents are represented by the N which the ANF replaced in May last year. Not that the N represents a retail channel – it was originally developed to support the home delivery model. Given that home delivery does not have franchise and marketing groups, it would be more appropriate that the N, the new or the old, was used for that activity and that retail was left to the brands which already promote themselves on TV and elsewhere.
Maybe I am wrong but I think the N at the end of the Papermate TV commercial achieves nothing for newsagents. The N is not a retail brand. It is not used consistently. The N artwork changed in May but there is no discipline around achieving this. There is no way to find N newsagents.
I’d also like a moritorium on the use of the term ‘your local newsagency’ in ads. When a marketing group (who shall remain nameless) advertises it keeps saying that their goods are available at their stores AND at ‘your local newsagency’.
Who gives them the right to that title?
I don’t understand your gripe Brett. Care to elaborate.
If the ad says get x item ‘at your local newsagent’ at x price then customers turn up expecting x item at x price. As I am not a member of that group I often do not have x item. If I do have x item it may well not be at x price. My staff and I then cop an earful about why we don’t have it or why it may be dearer.
If a group has a sale then just say available at this group, don’t then go on to say ‘or at your local newsagency’. Don’t presume to impose on all the other newsagencies.
I get what your saying Brett, this happens to me as well.
There are still a few Newsagents around still sporting the “N” signage.
Your just sore Mark because they didn’t use NewsXpress ? that could be a pizza company to some people or the the N could be a psychological way that NewsXpress are going to clone the newsagency channel and make the word “Newsagent” an archaic word. eg nextra,newspower,news ltd how about N..products sold here..Boofs
Brett,
I was thinking the same thing only the other night when seeing the ad from GNS/Newspower. We have customers that complain about the same thing. It needs to end.
Mark,
The N logo should be made redundant by the ANF, state associations, newsagents and suppliers alike. It serves no constructive purpose – some may even say it’s use is destructive marketing.
Paul – not sure what your saying makes sense??
I find it quite strange that the standard GNS back to school brochure is overprinted to omit Your Local Newsagent and include Newspower and NewsXpress. Even worse my local NewsXpress agent has a seperate NewsXpress brochure with at least two of the generic brochure products at different (higher ) prices, Maybe Jarrad you might consider why that is not destructive marketing?
Earth to Paul – this blog is nothing to do with newsXpress, rather it is about the inappropriateness of the N logo and its use in advertising.
We too had a customer who saw a TV ad last night tagging Newspower and “local newsagents” and expected us to have DVDs on special even though we are not participating in this particular sale. We supplied the product at adverised sale price to keep faith with the customer but at the end of the day both the customer and us were duped by misleading advertising via the N logo.
Warren – your local newsXpress must be running a different catalogue to the rest of the group – the ones we distribute specifically refer to branded product – not a generic in sight!
Warren,
Im not sure what point you are trying to make with the overprinting? And Jim is right – the newsXpress brochure has only branded product.
Paul,
Its is newsXpress and not NewsXpress. newsXpress never promotes, even subliminally, using the netter n.
My views on the N have not changed since 2004 – more than a year before I anything to do with newsXpress. They were well documented at the time. Sorry, Paul, no conspiracy here.
The N is not a brand. It has no discipline beind it. It stands for nothing in the minds of consumers.
Mark
Warren,
newsXpress produced a corporate Back To School brochure and recommended that this be used by members.
Some members, however, also wished to use the GNS brochure. GNS kindly agreed they could rebrand this for their newsXpress business – as GNS permits others.
newsXpress does not force members to participate in promotions.
In terms of the small conflict on price between the two brochures – GNS and newsXpress do not show each other their pricing plans. To do so would be anti competitive.
Mark
I have been saying for 6 years that the ‘N’ Logo and Newspower have an identity problem.
We ran a survey in Beechworth around 4 years ago asking customers what each ‘logo’ or ‘brand’ meant to them. The results did not surprise, no-one had the slightest idea what the ‘N’ logo stood for.
The definition for ‘newspower’ was slightly different; majority of customers knew of the slogan but could not tell you what it stood for.
Nothing has changed today.
Vaughan